China's investment to supplement stabilizing process in Afghanistan

By Abdul Haleem
0 CommentsPrint E-mail Xinhua, March 23, 2010
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As President Hamid Karzai left Kabul for China on Tuesday, Afghans look forward to more investment by the People's Republic of China and inking series of cooperation agreements between the two countries.

China, as a growing economic power, according to Afghan experts, can greatly contribute in boosting security and reviving economy in Afghanistan by investment in economic projects.

"Since China is a good neighbor and a rapidly growing economic power, it can play significant role in the rebuilding process of Afghanistan by investing in development projects," professor with Al-Bironi University Abdul Qahar Sarwari observed.

Describing economic stability as the source of political and security stability in Afghanistan, the professor argued that China by investing in development projects can provide job opportunities and eventually contribute to stabilizing security there.

The Afghan analyst's point of the view that unemployment and poverty is the "mother of all evils including insurgency and insecurity."

"Providing jobs and regular income to citizens would alleviate poverty and eventually slim the ongoing insurgency in the country, " Sarwari said, adding that desperate jobless youths either look for job in neighboring countries or join armed oppositions to feed their families.

He also opined that transferring China's experiences in the fields of economic recovery and political stability to Afghanistan would help the war-shattered nation to recover.

The war-weary Afghans who are similarly suffering from poverty and unemployment would highly welcome any investment in development projects by China greatly benefit from it, Sarwari emphasized.

At the invitation of Chinese President Hu Jintao, the Afghan President paid a three-day state visit to China during which a number of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be inked, according to the Afghan government.

In addition to government officials, a high ranking delegation from the businesses community is accompanying President Karzai in the tour.

Afghanistan as an independent country should have close relations with countries with different systems, another analyst Qasim Akhgar maintained.

"No doubt, President Karzai's visit to China would further enhance the relations between the two neighboring states," Akhgar noted.

Lauding China's role in reviving Afghan economy, the analyst said that China has hugely invested in Aynak copper mine and implementation of this project would create job opportunities for thousands of people.

A human rights activist and editor-in-chief of an influential newspaper 8Subh, Akhgar linked improving security situation to improving living conditions, saying investing in more development fields would provide more jobs to the economically impoverished Afghans.

"Investment in different development projects by China and Chinese firms would significantly contribute to creation of job opportunities and economic recovery in the war-ravaged Afghanistan, " Akhgar noted.

"I hope that several agreements particularly for promotion of trade and economic cooperation between Afghanistan and China be inked during President Karzai's visit to Beijing," Akhgar said.

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